Gujarat: Supply of goods, vegetables choked by rain-damaged roads

AHMEDABAD: Floods caused by heavy rainfall in some parts of Gujarat have caused at least 10,000 trucks of total 20,000 to stay off road constricting the flow of goods, vegetables and commodities. The movement of goods had already dropped due to slowing economic activity since March, and now rain-damaged roads have added to the woes of transporters.
“After heavy rainfall in Gujarat, several road stretches were washed out and damaged.Supply of business goods and materials, vegetables, essential commodities have suffered. An estimated 50% of trucks are currently not plying,” said Mukesh Dave, president, Akhil Gujarat Truck Transporters’ Association.
Dave said, “Floods in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh have further hampered movement of goods vehicles, and vegetable supply to Gujrat has been affected”
Every day, nearly 20,000 trucks ply in and out of Gujarat and move within the state. They transport goods and commodities like milk, vegetables and FMCG goods, or raw materials and finished products. Roads through Gujarat are also vital for shipping of export and import consignments to and from the ports.
Hasmukh Bhagdev, president, Rajkot Goods Transporters’ Association, said, “Transport business was already down by 25% since March due to slowing economic activity. This has gone down further over the past month due to the floods. Instead of 5,000 trucks moving in and out of Saurashtra, barely, 3,000 are plying and the rest are either stranded or in maintenance.”
The delay in shipments of goods is also impacting revenues of transporters. “Heavy rainfall in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Kerala has hampered business, because our drivers have been instructed not to drive on heavily flooded roads. Delay in truck movement will certainly hit our revenues by a significant 20-25%,” said Nimish Patel, propreitor of a city-based transport company.
“Bad roads are also hampering manufacturers waiting for shipments of raw materials,” Patel added.